Saturday Stuff

Steve, Chuck and I took the Aerostar over to Indy Metro yesterday for their annual chili fest. I've never made it before, it's a free lunch, with a giant iron kettle of chili and a bunch of pitch-in desserts and sides. It was really good food, and I ran into a bunch of people I know, a ton of warbirds flew in, and the JLFC formation guys flew in with Nick in the PT too.  It was a beautiful day, perfect weather, and we really enjoyed the time. I also did a good job circulating the room and peopleing and 'networking'. It's good to be seen out and about and connect in this industry. In any of 'em. And while I'm not great at it, I'm at least better than I ever was.

I also wouldn't have walked into a cold formation clinic with nobody I knew without any practice for 2 years and take a checkride right out of the gate. I'm growing up and everything. ;)  Oh, I did hear from NATA, and they won't accept my checkride from JLFC, they insist I do one of THEIR checkrides. But it doesn't matter too much, because I now have a valid formation card anyway, so I'm legally all good for airshows and stuff.  Good enough for now, will worry about the other later.

Then last night Steve, Kaylee and I went to Ethan's house and had dinner with his family. His wife, 3 kids, a friend, and fiancé of their daughter. It was home-made wood-fired pizza one at a time, personalized, and a delicious salad, and they made everything gluten-free for Kaylee, too, including gluten-free crackers to go with the super good dip, and a baked pear with pecans and honey and vanilla ice cream. Also amazingly delicious.  We had these "slingback" alcohol drinks that he makes too, so good you can't taste the alcohol, and they were perfect in Grand Cayman. I could drink those all day, if I could drink alcohol all day any more.  lol  Then we sat around a huge firepit in the back yard in the woods until it was time to get home so Kaylee could drive home from there.  It was a fun evening, something we don't do nearly enough.

I don't think my perm was hit too hard, even though I did everything wrong the first day. I think the top is a little looser but I think it always does that and I think I like that so I don't look like Orphan Annie for a week anyway. 

There's one thing health-wise I started doing that I am now convinced after a month really is helping. The inflammation in the joints. When I didn't wear the watch for 2 weeks, I felt a difference, but I'm not convinced, because I do tend to need to wear it, and I still feel inflammation. Knees, ankles. Stiffness, pain, weakness. Less than before, but still there. I did some more research, and a supplement that everyone agrees on is Turmeric. In certain amounts, combined with Ginger. From a reputable place with good quality. Since I've been taking it, the effects have been noticeable and sustainable and are definitely not placebo-esque.  I was able to get in the back of BOB without the stool, run up the walkway on the T-6 repeatedly instead of crawling up on my knee, and it's not just a day to day thing, I wake up and can hop out of bed, can hop out of the chair. I can get down on the floor and back up. I could do that after two weeks off the watch, too, but it didn't sustain, though I wear it less, and my hands/fingers do feel less swollen anyway.  But this has been a month, and it has made an actual, notable difference. So I do like that, and I'll be keeping that up. The next thing I need to work on harder again is my weight. So much effort. *sigh*

Today is laundry day, prep for going to Nag's Head tomorrow, grocery shopping, juicing for the week, and fixing spaghetti for dinner. Tough day, right? :)